Red flags of chest pain
Red flags of chest pain :
written and collected by Mohamed Hassan
also, review the local legal regulations
Chest pain is one of the most common complaints in the emergency department, and it can have various causes and presentations. Some of them are life-threatening and require immediate intervention, while others are benign and self-limiting. As a junior doctor, it is important to be able to recognize the red flags of chest pain and to act accordingly.
In this blog post, I will discuss some of the red flags of chest pain that you should be aware of and how to approach them. I will also provide some links, videos and resources that you can use to learn more about this topic.
Red flags of chest pain:
- Chest pain that is sudden, severe, crushing or squeezing, or radiates to the neck, jaw, arm or back.
- Chest pain that is associated with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, palpitations or syncope.
- Chest pain that occurs with exertion or emotional stress and is relieved by rest or nitroglycerin.
- Chest pain that is accompanied by signs of shock, such as hypotension, tachycardia, cyanosis or altered mental status.
- Chest pain that lasts longer than 20 minutes or recurs frequently.
These red flags suggest a possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes unstable angina, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). ACS is a medical emergency that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent irreversible myocardial damage and death.
The initial approach to chest pain should include:
- A rapid history and physical examination to assess the patient's risk factors, symptoms, signs and differential diagnosis.
- An electrocardiogram (ECG) to look for ischemic changes, arrhythmias or other abnormalities.
- A chest X-ray to rule out other causes of chest pain, such as pneumothorax, pneumonia or aortic dissection.
- Blood tests to measure cardiac biomarkers, such as troponin, creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and myoglobin, as well as other parameters, such as electrolytes, blood gases and coagulation profile.
- Oxygen therapy, aspirin, nitroglycerin and morphine as initial pharmacological management for suspected ACS.
- A decision on the need for further investigations and interventions, such as coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), based on the patient's clinical condition and ECG findings.
I hope this blog post has been helpful for you to learn about the red flags of chest pain and how to manage them. Remember to always be alert and act fast when you encounter a patient with chest pain. You could save a life!
Links :
Comments
Post a Comment